LAUREN CEBALLOS  / ASSOCIATE EDITOR

What  was  once   a   way  of   life  has  now   become  both a  trend  and  a  fun  way  to  bond  with  friends  for many USD students. Country music and Western wear is  making  an  evident   and quick resurgence, and not only on USD’s campus, but for many 20-something-year-olds across Southern   California.  From  music to  fashion  to  hobbies, Toreros have an undeniable  love  for the “country” style and some of the fun that often comes  along  with it. 

For many students, the country music genre has consistently been  a  favorite. USD  sophomore Abigail Rodgers is an  avid  country  music  listener. Rodgers  has  a  deep  connection to  her  love of  the  music  genre  largely  for  its ability  to   bring   people   together.

“I  think   it’s  beautiful   how   it  expresses so  much  in  different   songs,  and   you  also  get to dance in different ways and, like, it’s more of a community type of thing,” Rodgers said. 

Whether  it’s  a belt   buckle or  a   pair  of  cowboy  boots  for  the fashion  trends, Western wear  is also  becoming  more popular. A pair of  Wranglers with comfortable bell-bottoms and  the  addition  of  a   cowboy  hat  to feel a  little  taller   can  make for  some fun  outfit options. Rodgers explained the Western wear she has seen  Toreros    sport   on  USD’s   campus.

“I do wear [Western clothing] sometimes, and I feel like recently it’s becoming more of a thing,” Rodgers said. “Like over summer I feel like certain types of  patterns … like gingham, that’s like very much coming in and a lot of people are wearing cowboy boots now, using a hat as an accessory or style. So I feel like it’s definitely coming back and, like, more people are now wearing it, rather than it just being only for ‘country’ or those types of events.”

Although   Rodgers  partakes in the country  trend,  she  doesn’t  think  that  everyone is keen on  joining  in  on  the movement.

“I think it depends on the setting,” Rodgers added. “More for USD, I don’t see [Western wear] as often, like everyday going to classes, but I think there is actually a good amount of people that I’m actually surprised do wear it at USD.”

Toreros lifestyle and reasoning   behind    style   choices  vary.  Some  fell upon  the country look for a well-known   activity   associated  with it: line  dancing.  Many  Toreros  have found themselves ending their  week   with   line  dancing.  

With close-to-home  nights of line dancing at venues such as Moonshine, it has become a popular  pastime  for  many Toreros.  Some  love  the  activity  so   much  that  they   are  willing  to  drive   all   the  way  to  Temecula  Stampede, which is over 50 miles from USD’s campus.

USD sophomore Juliana Ramirez gladly made the drive to Stampede recently with her friends for a fun night.

“I’ve been  once  before, and I  only  knew  one  dance, and it was really fun to see,” Ramirez said.  I didn’t really feel like the drive was that bad, it was fun with everyone in the car and we were getting excited to go and dance.”

Not  too long  after,  Ramirez’s  sorority,  Pi  Beta  Phi, hosted a philanthropy  event on campus  with  the  activity  of   line dancing  which drew in many from the community. Ramirez commented on the event.

“It’s so fun, it’s really cute seeing everyone learn how to do it and actually do it here,” Ramirez said. 

USD junior Katie Howard, who attended  the event, explained how she first got introduced to line dancing.

Line dancing at Temecula Stampede draws in Toreros over the weekends. Lauren Ceballos/The USD Vista

“I started line dancing three years ago,” Howard said. “I just randomly went one night because, actually, me and my boyfriend broke up the week before … My friends were like … ‘Do you want to come line dance?’ And I was like, ‘Yes.’ And then, I went.”

After stumbling upon line dancing, Howard has found a new hobby that she thinks will stick around for a long time.

“Every single time after that, I would just go every Friday with my sister and my friends, and then we would learn it, like, by watching YouTube videos,” Howard said. “Now we do it all the time.” 

Howard shared encouragement for other Toreros to try line dancing and to embrace the country spirit if they haven’t yet.

“I absolutely love line dancing,” Howard said. “I think everybody can do it, and everybody should do it, cause I am a terrible dancer and I figured it out.”

Toreros have been embracing the country style, stumbling upon country music and line dancing for different reasons. It seems like the Toreros who have found the fun in cowboy boots are trying to share their excitement with those willing to join in.

Country boots are a staple in Western wear. Lauren Ceballos/The USD Vista